Monday, December 22, 2014

Sybil Kathigasu (1899 - 1948) selflessly took on the duty to help others during Japanese occupation of Malaya with the means she had as a nurse.

Let
us be Moderate: Principles
for a Moderate Malaysian.

Dear brother and sister Malaysians,

Come make Malaysia moderate. The
practice of moderation is our past, present and future. Let us together follow
the Principles for a Moderate Malaysian.

1. I
will take ownership. I will take responsibility.
I do not wait for others to act in moderation. I will take the first step. I AM
THE AGENT OF MODERATION.

2. I
will practice the spirit of thankfulness (kesyukuran).
Instead of complaining, I work with what I
have. I know deeply that the little that I have is enough to move me forward if
I am sincere and conscious.

3. I
will not be greedy. I will not complain about
why others are richer than me but worry more about the poor in my midst.

4. I
will always choose the better meaning and always see all problems as
opportunities. Even
if someone says hurtful words, I will see it as an opportunity to know what is
painful in the other person’s heart.

5. I
will first be critical of myself and my own community. If
I am a Muslim, I will be critical of other Muslims’ wrongdoings first. If I am
a Christian, I will be critical of other Christians’
wrongdoings, and so on.

6. I
will be honest on both sides. I will not be a
hypocrite.

7. I
will practice the Golden Rule. I will treat others
as I would like others to treat me.I
will not treat others in ways that I would not like to be treated.

8. I
will embrace and practice diversity and inclusion. I
will believe with all my heart that diversity is one of God’s greatest signs and gifts.

9. I
will always add value to everyone, every
situation and everything that I interact with.

10. I will always practice
mercy. I will be quick to forgive and forget. I always
give peace a chance.

At zubedy, our programs draw strength from
shared values and traditions. We believe that at heart, all Malaysians want
good things for themselves and for their brother and sister Malaysians, simply
because our nation cannot prosper as a whole if some of us are left behind.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

WE, a group of concerned citizens of Malaysia, would like to express how disturbed and deeply dismayed we are, over the continuing unresolved

disputes on the position and application of Islamic laws in this country.

The on-going debate over these matters display a lack of clarity and understanding on the place of Islam within our constitutional democracy.

Moreover, they reflect a serious breakdown of federal-state division of powers, both in the areas of civil and criminal jurisdictions.

We refer specifically to the current situation where religious bodies seem to be asserting authority beyond their jurisdiction; where issuance of various fatwa violate the Federal Constitution and breach the democratic and consultative process of shura; where the rise of supremacist NGOs accusing dissenting voices of being anti-Islam, anti-monarchy and anti-Malay has made attempts at rational discussion and conflict resolution difficult; and most importantly, where the use of the Sedition Act hangs as a constant threat to silence anyone with a contrary opinion.

These developments undermine Malaysia’s commitment to democratic principles and rule of law, breed intolerance and bigotry, and have heightened anxieties over national peace and stability.

As moderate Muslims, we are particularly concerned with the statement issued by Minister Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, in response to the recent Court of Appeal judgement on the right of transgendered women to dress according to their identity.

Jamil viewed the right of the transgender community and Sisters in Islam (SIS) to seek legal redress as a “new wave of assault on Islam” and as an attempt to lead Muslims astray from their faith, and put religious institutions on trial in a secular court.

Such an inflammatory statement from a Federal Minister (and not for the first time) sends a public message that the Prime Minister’s commitment to the path of moderation need not be taken seriously when a Cabinet minister can persistently undermine it.

These issues of concern that we raise are of course difficult matters to address given the extreme politicisation of race and religion in this country.

However, we believe there is a real need for a consultative process that will bring together experts in various fields, including Islamic and Constitutional laws, and those affected by the application of Islamic laws in adverse ways.

We also believe the Prime Minister is best placed with the resources and authority to lead this consultative process.

It is urgent that all Malaysians are invested in finding solutions to these longstanding areas of conflict that have led to the deterioration of race relations, eroded citizens’ sense of safety and protection under the rule of law, and undermined stability.

There are many pressing issues affecting all of us that need the urgent leadership and vision of the Prime Minister, the support of his Cabinet and all moderate Malaysians. They include:

i) A plural legal system that has led to many areas of conflict and overlap between civil and syariah laws. In particular there is an urgent need to review the Syariah Criminal Offences (SCO) laws of Malaysia.

These laws which turn all manner of “sins” into crimes against the state have led to confusion and dispute in both substance and implementation.

They are in conflict with Islamic legal principles and constitute a violation of fundamental liberties and state intrusion into the private lives of citizens. In 1999, the Cabinet directed the Attorney-General’s Chambers to review the SCO laws.

But to this day, they continue to be enforced with more injustices perpetrated.

The public outrage, debates over issues of jurisdiction, judicial challenge, accusations of abuses committed, gender discrimination, and deaths and injuries caused in moral policing raids have eroded the credibility of the SCO laws, the law-making process, and public confidence that Islamic law could indeed bring about justice.

ii) The lack of public awareness, even among top political leaders, on the legal jurisdiction and substantive limits of the powers of the religious authorities and administration of Islamic laws in Malaysia.

The Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land and any law enacted, including Islamic laws, cannot violate the Constitution, in particular the provisions on fundamental liberties, federal-state division of powers and legislative procedures.

All Acts, Enactments and subsidiary legislations, including fatwas, are bound by constitutional limits and are open to judicial review.

iii) The need to ensure the right of citizens to debate the ways Islam is used as a source of public law and policy in this country.

The Islamic laws of Malaysia are drafted by the Executive arm of government and enacted in the Legislative bodies by human beings.

Their source may be divine, but the enacted laws are not divine. They are human made and therefore fallible, open to debate and challenge to ensure that justice is upheld.

iv) The need to promote awareness of the rich diversity of interpretive texts and juristic opinions in the Islamic tradition.

This includes conceptual legal tools that exist in the tradition that enable reform to take place and the principles of equality and justice to be upheld, in particular in response to the changing demands, role and status of women in the family and community.

v) The need for the Prime Minister to assert his personal leadership as well as appoint key leaders who will, in all fairness, champion open and coherent debate and discourse on the administration of Islamic laws in this country to ensure that justice is done.

We especially urge that the leadership sends a clear signal that rational and informed debate on Islamic laws in Malaysia and how they are codified and implemented are not regarded as an insult to Islam or to the religious authorities.

These issues may seem complex to many, but at the end of the day, it really boils down to this: as Muslims, we want Islamic law, even more than civil law, to meet the highest standards of justice precisely because it claims to reflect divine justice.

Therefore, those who act in the name of Islam through the administration of Islamic law must bear the responsibility of demonstrating that justice is done, and is seen to be done.

When Islam was revealed to our Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. in 7th century Arabia, it was astoundingly revolutionary and progressive.

Over the centuries, the religion has guided believers through harsh and challenging times.

It is our fervent belief that for Islam to continue to be relevant and universal in our times, the understanding, codification and implementation of the teachings of our faith must continue to evolve.

Only with this, can justice, as enjoined by Allah S.W.T. prevail.

1. Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Rahim Din

Former Secretary-General, Home Ministry

2. Tan Sri Ahmad Kamil Jaafar

Former Secretary-General, Foreign Ministry

3. Tan Sri Dr Aris Othman

Former Secretary-General, Finance Ministry

4. Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican

Former Director-General, Health Ministry

5. Tan Sri Datuk Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim

Former Secretary-General, Finance Ministry

6. Tan Sri Datuk Dr Mustaffa Babjee

Former Director-General Veterinary Services

7. Tan Sri Nuraizah Abdul Hamid

Former Secretary-General

Energy, Communications and Multimedia Ministry

8. Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang

Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Core

Founder

National Heart Institute

9. Datuk Seri Shaik Daud Md Ismail

Former Court of Appeal Judge

10. Datuk Abdul Kadir Mohd Deen

Former Ambassador

11. Datuk Anwar Fazal

Former Senior Regional Advisor

United Nations Development Programme

12. Datuk Dali Mahmud Hashim

Former Ambassador

13. Datuk Emam Mohd Haniff Mohd Hussein

Former Ambassador

14. Datuk Faridah Khalid

Representative of Women’s Voice

15. Datuk Latifah Merican Cheong

Former Assistant Governor

Bank Negara

16. Lt Gen (Rtd) Datuk Maulob Maamin

Lieutenant General (Rtd)

17. Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin

Former Ambassador

18. Datuk Ranita Hussein

Former Suhakam Commissioner

19. Datuk Redzuan Kushairi

Former Ambassador

20. Datuk Dr Sharom Ahmat

Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Universiti Sains Malaysia

21. Datuk Syed Arif Fadhillah

Former Ambassador

22. Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad

Former Director-General

Malaysian Timber Industry

Board

23. Datuk Zainuddin Bahari

Former Deputy Secretary-General

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and

Consumerism Ministry

24. Datin Halimah Mohd Said

Former Lecturer

Universiti Malaya and President, Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason (PCORE)

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The pervasive political atmosphere is stifling rational discourse.WHAT has the song First Cut Is The Deepest got to do with political sentiments in Malaysia?That was my precise thought when a rather inebriated guest singer proudly made references to his ethnicity and the recently concluded Umno general assembly before and after his rendition of the song at a popular local pub on Sunday.For those who are unfamiliar with the 47-year-old tune, it sums up the anxiety of entering a new romantic relationship while still suffering from the hurt of one’s first love.Most people associate it with British rock icon Rod Stewart, but the poignant song was written by Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, in 1965.Stevens, born Steven Demetre Georgiou, composed it when he was still a struggling songwriter and sold it for £30 to P.P. Arnold, a former Ike and Tina Turner backup singer, who turned it into a hit in 1967.Cover versions by Keith Hamp­shire and Sheryl Crow also became huge hits, but Stewart’s classic interpretation remains the most renowned.What was the song’s connection to the Chinese community and not being understood by Umno, as the guest singer said after his three minutes on stage? I was left wondering, too.Perhaps it was yet another manifestation of the pervasive political atmosphere in the country today.It is scary, but everything in Malaysia is somehow associated with politics and the overbearing anger and hatred it begets is stifling.As expected, last week’s Umno general assembly provided more fodder for the ill will to go on.Party president and Prime Mi­­nister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has come under fire for declaring that the Sedition Act would not only remain but would be strengthened.His detractors are denouncing it as a “flip-flop”, but the decision clearly had the support of the party, which secured 88 of Barisan Nasional’s 133 seats in the 13th general election last year – one short of the total of 89 won by Pakatan Rakyat parties.It is true that Umno needs to go beyond its Malay heartland base and gain support in the urban areas to remain relevant, but only the politically naive would expect a leader to go against the tide of the grassroots.In any case, whatever Najib does has never been right in the eyes of those opposed to his leadership. It has always been the case of damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.Much has been said and written about the assembly, but for someone who has observed such gatherings for three decades, it was a rather tame affair.Sure, there were some heated moments, the expected venting of communal frustrations, the usual clownish remarks and attempts at bashing a particular community, but Najib and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin drummed home some pertinent points at the end of it.Muhyiddin brought home the stark reality that Barisan, which lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time in the 12th general election, could be ousted from Putrajaya with just a loss of 2% support in the next polls.Amidst the rhetoric, Najib sent the most important message – Umno needs the support of the other races to remain in power – stressing that this was why Tunku Abdul Rahman formed the Alliance, which evolved into Barisan Nasional under Tun Abdul Razak.A close friend, a retired politician who has served as a Member of Parliament for two terms, said such assurances might do little to sway diehard supporters of Pakatan Rakyat, but had restored a semblance of hope among those who want to see the return to rational politics in the country.Both sides of the political divide have to pull back from digging deeper trenches separating Malaysians from each other.The rational and moderate among us must remind political leaders and their supporters that there is more to life than trading insults and perpetuating endless hatred.Malaysians must be made to realise that politics has always been about battles between competing interests and attempts to balance partial truths.Instead of looking at the complex perspectives involved, we are constantly drawn into the partisan hate through simplistic beliefs about being right and wrong, or good versus evil.With today’s digital technology and widespread use of social media, it is even easier for those bent on stirring discord to get quick and extensive coverage.In the old days, rookie journalists were reminded that just because somebody says something shocking it would not mean that it was news.Not anymore. Any rabble-rouser for a small and insignificant group can now manipulate the media into getting ample attention by making incendiary remarks.But there is a limit to how much political rancour and hate people can stomach.Even in countries where two party systems of democracies are practised, voters are being turned off by the intense politicking, especially when there is no difference between the parties when it comes to corruption or standard of governance.As a result of this aversion, what is being referred to as “anti-politics” is very much in the air in Europe.The United Kingdom’s 64-year-old Political Studies Association has set up an Anti-Politics and De-Politicisation Specialist Group dedicated to providing a forum for researchers examining the trend.According to the group, “anti-politics” appears to have marginalised political debates, taken power away from elected politicians and fostered an air of disengagement, disaffection and disinterest in politics.The way politics is being played in Malaysia, I wouldn’t mind a dose of it here.Associate Editor M. Veera Pandiyan likes this observation by F. Scott Fitzgerald: The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.Article taken from The STAR

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Khazanah Research Institute has released ‘The State of Households’ report which sheds light on problem areas including housing, food, education, salaries and BR1M, among others.

FOR Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) managing director Datuk Charon Mokhzani, one of the most surprising things he and his team found while doing research on the state of households in Malaysia is how much data is already there.

“You wouldn’t know if you never looked. There are all kinds of data publicly available,” he says in an interview.

So with its focus on the “pressing issues of the nation”, KRI pored through data and information from various government departments, ministries and bodies such the Department of Statistics, Economic Planning Unit, Education Ministry, EPF, Fama, Bank Negara, World Bank, and Demographia to come up with its 68-page “The State of Households” report.

KRI was set up about a year ago and its objective is to carry out data-driven analysis and research on “pressing issues of the nation” and come up with policy recommendations to the government.

The State of Households report is its first.

“We managed to do it in less than six months. It gives a broad picture of the state of households – an overview of where we are,” says Charon.

Dr Kuppusamy Sigaravello from Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Economics and Administration, who read sections of the report, thinks it is “well presented in a graphical way” that would help the layman understand it.

“It’s the new way forward to explain things easy,” he says.

A number of facts in the report are quite revealing.

For example, only 10.4% of the country’s working population have a degree, while the “vast majority” are not educated beyond Form Five! So the vast majority work at lowly-paid jobs.

Real median household income in the country grew by 19% between 2009 and 2012 and the median monthly salary for individuals in 2013 was RM1,700 a month.

(Median income is different from average income. With average, you total up the incomes and divide it by number of people. With median income, it is the half-way mark you get, if you list down all incomes from lowest to the highest and take the mid-point figure where half would be earning more and half earning less. Median is seen as a fairer assessment than average.)

The report also shows up huge disparities in income and spending patterns in the country.

About 74% of households in the country earn less than RM6,000 and of this, 23% take home less than RM2,000; and that only 4% of active EPF members make more than RM6,000 a month.

The report also highlights wealth inequality in the country.

At one end, there are 38,000 Malaysian millionaires, wealthy Malaysians are buying million ringgit houses and luxury cars, Malaysians were the fourth largest buyers (4%) of newly built property in London in 2012, and are the top buyers of homes in Singapore.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are people who earn low wages and have no savings, who buy their electrical appliances and furniture on interest-based instalments and end up paying as much as a quarter of the purchase price in interest alone, who are really affected by rising food and utilities prices, and the poorer households are able to afford only RM55 a month or RM1.83 a day on meat.

Charon says KRI will be doing a more in-depth study on food soon to see how to bring prices down.

“If Malaysian food prices are not following world food prices, then we want to know why, and if there is a good explanation for it or if there is a monopoly or middle man involved.

“People always blame the middle man. We don’t have the data yet to tell you if there is a middle man. This is something we are looking to find out.

“There are permits for food importation and incentives for different types of food, and we want to look at all that and see what needs to be changed so that we can bring food prices down to as low as possible.”

He, however, points out that if world food prices go up, Malaysia would not escape the price rise.

“What we want to get away from is that if world prices go up by a little bit, should our food prices go up many times?”

UM’s Dr Kuppusamy thinks it is “simply nonsense” when the government says it can control the price of food.

“Most food are value added along the food supply chain and whether you want it or not, it is also related to the price of fuel and other inputs because food has to be transported and the workers, including those transporting food products, have to be paid,” he says.

He adds that enforcement of price control in the country is poor and done only occasionally and reactively.

“Government enforcement goes ‘off’ about a month after some controls,” he says.

The KRI report also estimates that less than 23.8% or RM5.6bil of the entire fuel subsidy went to households in 2013 while the remaining RM17.9bil went to corporations, businesses and elsewhere.

In calling for a removal of the “blanket subsidies”, the KRI report favours targeted cash transfers like BR1M to help cushion the impact for the lower income group.

“If you want to help people, then decide who you want to help and give them the help. But don’t do it in a wasteful way through blanket subsidies for all. Subsidies encourage wasteful behaviour, smuggling and all kinds of bad behaviour. People are wasteful if things are cheap. If we stop subsidies then people will be less wasteful,” says Charon.

Dr Kuppusamy is all for removing subsidies and assisting those in need with cash transfers like BR1M “if the method to identify the target group is implemented correctly.”

He says the recent move to remove fuel subsidies is the right move, but thinks “the way it has been done is too fast and too soon”.

“Prices of goods have escalated way before the targeted removal of such subsidies. In real terms, the government gains but the rakyat loses faster than the government can react to help those who need help,” he stresses.

He points out that removing the sugar subsidy does not “hit people that much” compared to the fuel subsidy which affects almost everyone on the ground.

“I expected a gradual removal of the fuel subsidy. However, the rich seem to be ‘punished’ for earning more through high tax while the poor is ‘released’ tax-free.”

What this means, he says, is that the rich end up having to pay more for goods especially at the higher end.

The KRI report also touches on the tough housing problem people are facing in the country.

The report states that affordable housing should cost three times the annual median income, but in Malaysia prices are 5.5 times the annual median income.

This makes houses here, in median income terms, more expensive than in the United Kingdom (4.7 times), United States (3.5 times), Ireland (2.8 times) or even Singapore (5.1 times).

The profit margin of property developers in Malaysia too is high at 21%, which is almost double that of the US (12%), the UK (17%) and Thailand (14%).

UM’s Dr Kuppusamy says he actually expected the profit margin of Malaysian property developers to be higher than 21% because housing is purely business and “driven by the private provision of goods”.

Charon says KRI came up with these numbers by going to Bloomberg and having a look at the profit margin of all housing developers in the country and comparing it with the listed property developers in other countries.

And, as affordable housing is now one of the main concerns here, KRI will be doing an in-depth study to see if and how prices can come down.

“There are three elements which are the cost of land, the cost of building the house and financing it, and we are looking at how to lower these.

“Maybe it can be through better technology or maybe there is anti competition in the construction supply chain so the price of cement and other supplies are higher than it should be,” says Charon.

There are many other interesting findings in the report including the ethnic, gender and urban-rural disparity in income, the number of luxury cars sold in 2013, high level consumption of households (98% own a television set, 95% have mobile phones, 91% have washing machines,78% have cars, 57% subscribe to Astro, and 39% have Internet subscription.)

Despite the fact that 74% of the households get less than RM6,000 a month currently, Charon believes Malaysia is still on track to becoming a high income developed nation by 2020.

He says efforts are being made for people to have more disposable income and better purchasing power through higher incomes with better jobs and reducing food, household and transport prices.

“You can’t change the economy tomorrow but you can change it over time,” he says.

About Me

Born in Penang, speaks English, Malay, Hokkien & some Tamil. Managing Director and founder of zubedy (m) sdn bhd. Graduated from University Malaya and was in marketing for a multinational before setting up zubedy in 94. www.zubedy.com

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#NoFreeRides

A promise made in 2001

I intend to ADD VALUE to everyone and anything that I come to interact with and make the world a better place.

As this is an unending journey, I will never achieve my dreams … not in their fullest form. They are too far away in the idealistic world... but,

" The quest of truth will set you free, even if you never catch up with it".

I am one of those dreamers who have found a practical formula of living for today (compartmentalization) and try to achieve parts of my dreams a moment at a time, part by part. It is okay to die without achieving all the lofty dreams, as the spirit will be passed on to others, who are dreamers too.

I also plan to be rich, very rich! Not for the money but for the use of money as a platform to help me achieve my ideals. God willing, you will see advertisements in the near future communicating universal values and spirituality by ZUBEDY the Brand. (check out http://www.zubedy.com/) Encourage schools and libraries and sponsor the poor's basic needs of food, shelter and education.

I hope to live to a century or two with healthy living, modern medicine and God's permission. Lead a full life, have many children. But not necessarily sired by me. Travel the world to witness God's creation and be at awe with the creativity that greets us wherever and whenever we turn. I want to smell all the fragrance in the world be it the stink of the squatters in Mumbai or the pleasing scent of devotional flowers at a Balinese lebaran.

And to know that each experience has a purpose which is to ADD VALUE to the living, the dead and the unborn.

Children of Indonesia

Taken on the way to Puncak

Children of Bario

On the way to the only working phone line!

Children of Sabah

On the way to Mersilau

Children of Cambodia

At Angkor Thom

Children of Penang

At Pak Ali's house

Children of the zubedys

my nephews and nieces

Beautiful Women Series

One

Beautiful Women Series

Two

Beautiful Women Series

Three

Beautiful Women Series

Four

Beautiful Women Series

Five

Beautiful Women Series

Six

Let us learn about each other's religion, culture and way of life

We know too little about each other’s traditions, way of life and beliefs.

In fact many amongst us may not even know about our own spiritual traditions, scripture and core religious foundation. Most times we delegate our thinking to our religious teachers and later complain about how they go about doing their job.